I went "cheap" on one of mine and I am very happy with the choice. Definitely not a NF or a USO, but definitely not the price either. Durable, good glass. Check out the Falcon Menace, may be worth a look. Meets your price break criteria, couple of different models out there. YMMV

Very pleased with my Nikon Buckmaster atop my Rem 700 (30-06). Keeping in mind it is a hunting gun first, but you can spend $230 for a scope or all the way up to $500 - you did say under $500, correct?

I have a Remington 700 SPS Tactical, in .308, with a Vortex scope on it! Love the scope!! It is a Vortex Crossfire 4-16x50 and the mil-dot is illuminated. Its a good scope for Tactical, long range shots, and target shooting. Cost was $230.00. Several guys on our dept use this scope. Happy Shooting!!

I really have my doubts about high end scopes. A friend bought a zeiss scope. He paid an arm and a leg for the thing. Right out of the box it was broken. Every shot went all over the place. I will pay more for features I desire in a scope but not for a name.

Sightron is about 3 miles from my home. They operate out of a facility smaller than my barn. They buy scope parts. Assemble the parts in a small clean room and slap a label on them. I suspect all scope manufacturers do the same thing.

__________________
"I do not aim with my hand; I aim with my eye. He who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I do not shoot with my hand; I shoot with my mind. He who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I do not kill with my gun; I kill with my heart. He who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father."

I really have my doubts about high end scopes. A friend bought a zeiss scope. He paid an arm and a leg for the thing. Right out of the box it was broken. Every shot went all over the place. I will pay more for features I desire in a scope but not for a name.

Sightron is about 3 miles from my home. They operate out of a facility smaller than my barn. They buy scope parts. Assemble the parts in a small clean room and slap a label on them. I suspect all scope manufacturers do the same thing.

I'm not sure a sampling of one highend scope is much to go by

I would certaily suggest that a purchase is made based on features and quality not a name but sometimes you must pay more or buy a highend brand to get the features and quality required for a specific purpose.

I like Sightron but their scopes are built overseas (nothing wrong with that). MANY scopes sellers use the same OEM scope shops in Japan or the Philippines to design and build scopes under their own brand. There are several high quality OEMs in Japan that can produce high quality at low cost.

I put a Nikon on my 700 in 7mm rem mag and have been very happy with it. It is 4.5-14 and has the BDC reticle and was about $400. On the other hand I picked up a Bushnell Banner 3-9x50 for $100 and I am impressed. It seems to be a very good scope and it is very clear. Just my experiances, hope it helps.

I have that same scope, it is comparable to the Nikkon Buckmaster that cost much more. I think the mounts are where it's at......

I have a Remigton 700 in .223 with a Nikon Bushmaster 3/9/40 and on a good day I can shoot 1/2 MOA @ 100 = its always held zero with good Leupold solid (locktighted)mounts and rings. Its about a $250 scope and for the money I Love it. If you want more, then I would go with Nikon Monarch, Leupold v3 - as far as magnification, for bench I like at least 15x but it will cost more and you'll probably never need that much or be able to make a stable shot without something pretty stable to rest your rifle on. I personally like 40 or 42mm objective lenses slammed as close to the barrel as possible. Reticle, like alot of things is a personal preference thing = fot me the finer the better. This is just my opinion of course but Ive had Bad experiences with Bushnell Banner,cheap mounts and rings = no weak links in the chain.

IME, the high end scopes are expensive for a damned good reason. They're higher quality, and that always costs more to manufacture.

I own several Leupold VX series scopes, and several Nikon Monarch series.

They're good scopes, but not even in the same ball park with my 6X42 Swarovski.

If I could afford it, all of my target and hunting rifles would wear Swarovski, Ziess-Hensoldt or Schmidt & Binder.

My "black guns" wear Trijicon ACOGs.

I agree with high end glass is worth the money and as someone who works in the communication fiber optics field (good glass is expensive to manufacture) but not everyone can afford Carl Ziess = a good rule of thumb is to buy the best glass that you can AFFORD = and I too have an ACOG on my favorite Black Rifle = lightning fast aquisition but expensive = can kill a yote at full run now!!!!!!!!!!!! worth it to me